Viipuri
Viipuri (Russ. Выборг, Swed./Lule. Viborg) is an important Uralican port city that sits on the Gulf of Finland, near the southernmost tip of Karelia county. Viipuri sits just south of Highway UH-7, which runs westward towards Old Finland and northeast towards Käkisalmi. The exact date of the settlement's foundation is unknown, but records have shown the area inhabited by Karelians since the 11th century. The Swedes built the First Castle of Viborg in 1293, but did not fully take the area until 30 years later. The area would long be a contest point in wars between Swedes and Russians, but Sweden would retain control of Viborg until 1710, when Peter The Great overtook the area for Russia. This would be made official eleven years later by the Treaty of Nystad, although fighting between Russians and Swedes over the area would continue until the Russians finally took full control of Finland in 1809. Over a century later, after the Russian Revolution, Finland declared independence, and the area of what was called "Vyborg" under the Russians was officially renamed "Viipuri" for the first time. However, the Winter War (coincidental with World War II) would see much of Finnish Karelia fall back into Russian hands - in spite of the overall stalemate of that war, Viipuri was lost to the Soviets, with other land being ceded in 1944 due to the Finns having fought against the Allies of World War II, if only the Soviet Union. The name "Viipuri" only returned in 2009 by vote, after Uralica annexed the city. A picturesque and economically diverse city, Viipuri boasts one of the largest tourism sectors of any city in Uralica - only Syktyvkar, Kirov, Yekaterinburg, Izhevsk, and Yoshkar-Ola are larger. It is also Uralica's leading producer of paper and paper-based goods in terms of city output, with most of the wood supply coming from abroad, and in particular, largely from the nation of Kohona. Culture Viipuri, while having been under Russian rule for some time, is predominantly inhabited by Finns, with large communities of Kven and Meänkieli-speaking Finns living in the city. Larger minorities include Livonians (Veps is actually the third-most-spoken language in Viipuri after Finnish and Russian), Russians, Karelians, and Estonians, although more of the latter live in nearby Käkisalmi. The result of the history of the city is that its architecture tends more towards the Neo-Classicism of Finland, although there is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the city that is a good example of Russian-style architecture. Vyborg Castle has survived the Cataclysm and the Great Wars, and is one of Viipuri's top tourist attractions. Also of note is the Viipuri Public Library, which is a Modernist structure, and the Ethnofuturist Livonian Tribal Board Head Office, which according to statistics gathered by Tourism Uralica, is the most-visited Tribal Board head office by foreigners. Sport Viipuri, being on the Gulf of Finland, not only has many pro sports clubs, but is also known for its saltwater rowing regattas. Football (Soccer) Kakkonen *Karjala JK Kolmonen *Kannas FK *Viipurin Palloseura (ViPS) Nelonen *CSKA Viipuri *Viipuri Kickers Other Pro/Semi-Pro *Viipurin JK *Mashinostroitel Viipuri *KarjaTeräs Viipuri *Ladoga Viipuri *Nautika Viipuri *Energiya Viipuri *Spartak Viipuri *Dynamo Viipuri *Mindphaser Viipuri *Mustavalkoiset Viipuri *Torpedo Viipuri *CSKVC Viipuri Ice Hockey *Viipurin Blues Handball *Viipurin KPK Bandy *Vyborgsky Bandyklub Other *The Dungeon - professional mixed-martial-arts, boxing, and amateur wrestling take place here. One of the more choice training locales for Uralica's Olympic combat sport teams. *Viipurin Olympiastadion - A multi-purpose ice-rink used for speed-skating and figure skating. When opened to the public, no ice hockey or bandy allowed! Neighbourhoods and Suburbs *Tammisuo (Russ. Таммисую) *Sorvali (Russ. Сорвали) *Korjala (Russ. Коряла) Category:Settlements of Uralica